Learner please advise

[Robynne]

Hi all I've just joined the forum in the hope of learning.
I breed and train racing Greyhounds and am constantly trying to get good shots of them at play and running ect.

I gotta say I'm pretty hopeless, saved on occasion by a decent camera ( Canon EOS 50D)

My question is would you recommend that I just try to learn more on here by asking possibly dumb questions, or should I try to do an online beginners photography course ?
Lenses ect are all foreign to me but I realise extremely important for the photos I'm wanting to achieve, and I really am eager to learn.

thanks !

 

[oldmacman]

Hi all I've just joined the forum in the hope of learning.
I breed and train racing Greyhounds and am constantly trying to get good shots of them at play and running ect.

I gotta say I'm pretty hopeless, saved on occasion by a decent camera ( Canon EOS 50D)

My question is would you recommend that I just try to learn more on here by asking possibly dumb questions, or should I try to do an online beginners photography course ?
Lenses ect are all foreign to me but I realise extremely important for the photos I'm wanting to achieve, and I really am eager to learn.

thanks !

Nothing wrong with doing both. Everyone learns a little differently. I like to take images and post them here, hoping that people will comment on them. The trouble with that is you have to sift through those who know what they are talking about and those that think they know... It's an Internet forum.

I also learn a lot by looking at what others are doing and critiquing their images. Critiquing forces you to look at what is working and not working in an image and then communicate why it is successful or not. I have found that this repetition of critique helps me in my own photography. It affects the way I frame, choose an angle and light an image.

Be forewarned, though. Asking for critique requires a thick skin as many people will not sugar coat their responses for you. You will find out quickly who has a good eye for detail and who can offer genuine advice for getting better the next time round.

Cheers and happy shooting.

 

[Bram]

Don't ask stupid quiestions. Google them. All the stuff people here can be found with a simple google search. Go to canon.com and ask questions. Maybe check out photographyonthenet.com which is a canon forum. Ask away but hope you got tough skin to ask stupid questions here.

 

[OrionsByte]

First, most of the questions you might have have been asked and answered a hundred times on this website. Searching here is just as valuable as searching elsewhere.

Definitely do some learning on your own before you post questions here. It's the difference between, "I'm learning, could someone please clarify..." and, "I'm clueless, could someone please teach me..."

So yeah, there are some helpful people around here that would be more than happy to help you understand what you're learning, but there are very few people around here who would be willing to hand-hold you through every step of the process. Do some reading, and we can help you wrap your head around it. Post some shots, and we can help you develop your technique. Generally speaking, though, relying on TPF for all your learning is probably doing yourself a disservice.

Just my opinion.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Apparently Robynne needs a thick skin for her(?) first thread.

Welcome to the insanity. Beers in the fridge and the nuts are all over the board!

 

[Robynne]

Apparently Robynne needs a thick skin for her(?) first thread.

Welcome to the insanity. Beers in the fridge and the nuts are all over the board!

Seems I do and I thought the racing sites were cut throat and rough on people lol .
Thanks for the advice.

 

[KmH]

Like everything else, there are fundamentals to be learned.

Your camera's users manual is the best place to start.
Yes, it's dry and makes no attempt to entertain, but it describes in detail the functions and features of the main tool you have available for taking pictures, your camera.
When you read something in the manual you don't understand, that's the time to use a search engine to do some exploration for other, perhaps clearer explanations on the same subject.

I recently added a lens information tutorial on my blog How Do I Use My Digital SLR?, you may find helpful.

With moving subjects, shutter speed, continuous auto focus, and panning techniques should be on your list of fundamentals to explore.

 

[Robynne]

These are a few random shots I've taken, feel free to pick them to bits. My biggest problem is that most of the shots I take are taken just on daylight or very late afternoon. I'd like to some suggestions on how to edit my photos eg programs that other people use. I know I'm not getting the best out of my camera, I am still learning about it.

thanks !

 

[amanda0908]

The dogs are beautiful! I'm new to this forum too, and after one post have already received some very rude responses. If there is one amazing thing about photography it's this; something that may be flawed to one person, may be perfect to another. Happy posting, the dogs are beautiful!

 

[Karri]

They are beautiful dogs and I can see why you may be a little overwhelmed as it seems like a lot to learn. Definitely read your manual but I recommend also taking a lot of test shots at home so as you are learning the manual, you can also 'see' the differences the ISO makes or the shutter speed. It sounds like you know mostly what time of day you will be taking pictures so on off days, go out shooting at that time of day. Shoot moving objects as you know the dogs will be moving. Then upload your photos and really look at them. Look at where the shadows are, learn about composing a good shot and see if what you are trying to achieve is there in the picture.
It will depend on your learning style as to what options will be best for you - if you prefer to learn on your own and as a self-starter, there are so many resources on the Intranet to take advantage of to learn. If you need the discipline and structure of a class, then go for the online course.

As far as C&C for your pictures - here is my two cents!
#1: like the picture but the sunlight is too bright on the dog and makes some harsh shadows and bright spots. Also, the dog seems a little too centered for my taste - could use some cropping of the picture
#2: Out of focus
#3: Needs more clarity and the focus seems a little soft on the eyes of the dog
#4: I wish the dog not looking at the camera wasn't in the picture and it would improve the shot tremendously
#5: I like how you were able to stop the motion on this picture but it doesn't really do much for me - I guess maybe I would like it more if the symmetry of the body was more together but that's just my opinion
#6: I like this one best and with some post processing, it could be a better photograph. Some sharpening, lightening, etc... could bring it out more.

Keep working with it! Figure out how each option on your camera works and works together to bring out the greatness.

Seems like it would be fun to photograph these dogs!

 

[tevo]

Definitely read the manual, cover to cover. I can't stress this enough. When i first got my camera, every button and menu item looked foreign to me. After reading the manual, I can look at every button and recognize its purpose. The first step to becoming a good photographer is learning your camera. That way, you can focus on composing and setting your camera for the shot you want, rather than figuring out how to work the camera and take an acceptable picture.

Also, some of the best advice I have ever recieved is

TAKE
THOUSANDS
OF
PICTURES

Do not be afraid to take TONS of pictures. Mess around with the settings, see what things change what in your photo. It is trial an error, but you will learn.

As for questions, I have found this forum to be a priceless resource for information. Spend some time with your camera, and your camera's manual. I dont think there will be many "stupid questions" to ask if you do this.

Best of luck!


+ nice dogs

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Apparently Robynne needs a thick skin for her(?) first thread.

Welcome to the insanity. Beers in the fridge and the nuts are all over the board!

Seems I do and I thought the racing sites were cut throat and rough on people lol .
Thanks for the advice.

:lmao: Yeah, it can be rough sometimes but if you don't take it personally, you'll be fine. And there are good people here, more than willing to help.



A few thoughts:

When posting a number of images like you just did, put a space between them and number them. The space makes it easier on the eyes and the number helps referring to a particular image.

Forget editing for the time being. Learn to use the camera to get the photos rather than trying to save bad ones through PP.

As mentioned by others, read your manual a few times with the camera in hand and do exercises shooting whatever is in front of you to figure out what the manual is talking about.

At the same time, start looking at other members' work and the C&C that is given. You can even try to give C&C; it is a great way to learn how to shoot because it forces you to think about aspects of the shooting.

There are tons of articles on the web. Start looking through them and read things related to what it is you want to shoot. KmH mentioned shutter speed, continuous auto focus, and panning techniques and those are definitely good suggestions for you.

Start posting and see what is being said. Learn from that. By spending time here you will also, little by little, learn who to trust and who to ignore. And you will learn that some aspects of photography are 100% personal choices.


Now, let's talk about your shots.

I'm going to start with the first and last one. Those two are great examples of harsh light/soft light. In you first one, there are areas that have no or very little details. It can be either a light or dark area. But in the last one, you have nice details everywhere because the light is not harsh.

Midday light on a sunny day tends to be harsh. Earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon can be much better time to shoot. But when you can't choose your perfect time of day, a nice tree overhead can soften the light as in your last photo. Of course, it seems like the light wasn't as harsh anyway, lol.


Photo #2, the focus is wrong. Unless you are going for some special effect, when shooting people and/or animals you are going to want the eyes in focus. Here, the focus is further back.


There is a lot more that we could say here but I think it's enough until your next post.

Welcome to the nuthouse.

 

[Robynne]

Thanks so much for all your replies and critiques (and comments on my kids ) , it's MUCH appreciated ! As for being able to cop flack, I can cop it I am here to learn and the only way I can do that is to get my photos looked at by those who know and have an eye for detail.
The last set of pics I agree with all comments, the first photo was taken late afternoon, I'm not sure whether I was even on the correct angle for sunlight. I actually posted the original uncropped, it does look a little better cropped.
These photos I took on my old Canon, I can't even remember the model offhand.

Baby Moet

These were taken just on daylight on my new Canon, not been touched up.

Heaven

Heaven 2

Chase

It's lovely to be here, I look forward to learning more. And am plowing through my manual, trying to soak some of it up ! thanks again

Robynne